What Seems Obvious Is Not Always Apparent
in collaboration with Yumi Janairo Roth

Project Description

Much of the visual information that we encounter on a daily basis is often superfluous to our apprehension of the world.  Yet, we think of these visual aides as somehow helpful. We sometimes wonder if directing our attention to the things that appear obvious end up revealing new ideas or information.

The direction that a creek flows is apparent to anyone looking at it.  Surprisingly, though, small eddies and other surface disturbances create seemingly counterintuitive currents whereby the creek seems to be flowing upstream or perpendicular to the shoreline.  We installed several hundred small, floating wooden arrows in Cherry Creek to identify the direction of water flow.  Simultaneously didactic and decorative, the arrows in the creek illustrate how the water flows around various obstructions such as rocks and elevation changes, drawing attention to the creek and patterns of water flow.